


In the dark

by CountDorkula42



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Child Abuse, Partially Blind Zuko (Avatar), Partially Deaf Zuko (Avatar), Zuko's Scar (Avatar), but thats just zuko getting his scar
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2020-11-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:00:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27701740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CountDorkula42/pseuds/CountDorkula42
Summary: He can't see in the dark. In the dark, he is  completely, totally blind. In the darkness, everyone is blind. Nobody can see, if there is no light. Light is necessary for sight. So to be blinded by fire, which is the very essence is light, feels like a betrayal.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 40





	In the dark

He can't see in the dark. In the dark, he is completely, totally blind. In the darkness, everyone is blind. Nobody can see, if there is no light. Light is necessary for sight. So to be blinded by fire, which is the very essence is light, feels like a betrayal. 

Most people don't realize Zuko is partially blind and deaf. The scar over his left eye is the first thing everyone notices but they don't realize. It is not superficial, it is not just an ugly red pattern marring his face. He is damaged. It is a mark left from when his father set him on fire, his hand set over Zuko’s eye so perfectly it could not have been an accident. The flames spread and burnt his ear, too, which may not have been intentional, but the firelord certainly wasn’t too upset about it.

Zuko wakes up on the ship, banished, and once the bandages are taken off his eye he still can't see from it. He loses his depth perception and walks into things and bumps into people more than he would ever admit. He was completely deaf in his left ear so he had to turn his right ear towards whoever was talking to hear them. This, of course, led to multiple people yelling at him for not paying attention. His balance was off, too, which wasn’t fun when you lived on a ship.He learnt to compensate, eventually. By the time they first caught sight of the avatar, he could do his katas and fight without falling over.

The crew of the ship learn, too. They learn quickly that they need to approach Zuko from the right, so they don’t surprise him. They talk louder around him, and they don’t laugh if he bumps into things. And nobody, absolutely nobody, stares at his scar. When a new crewmate, Ichiro, came aboard, he was quickly pulled aside and told in no uncertain terms that if he didn’t stop staring he would be thrown overboard, and there hadn't been a problem since.

At least, not until now...

**Author's Note:**

> i'm sorry. It looked longer on my phone.


End file.
